History• Founded in 1881, Bordeaux are the second oldest club in France behind Le Havre AC, though they did not contest their first professional match until 1937, taking on Toulouse FC in the inaugural Derby de la Garonne.

• A maiden French Cup triumph followed four years later, quickly breaking their league duck in 1949/50 as Les Girondins became the first French side to claim the championship a season after being promoted.

• That proved Bordeaux's last silverware for 34 years and it took the arrival of Claude Bez as chairman in 1978 to end the trophy drought. The ambitious accountant brought Aimé Jacquet in to coach the side in 1980 and oversaw three Ligue 1 titles in addition to a run to the European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals in 1984/85.

• The Bez era ended abruptly with an enforced relegation in 1991, though in 1995/96 the club bounced back and became the only side to reach the UEFA Cup final after entering via the UEFA Intertoto Cup. The likes of Zinédine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry and Bixente Lizarazu went down 5-1 on aggregate to FC Bayern München in the showpiece.

• Champions in 1998/99, Les Girondins faded at the start of the new century before slowly working their way back. The decision to appoint the untested Laurent Blanc as coach in 2007 proved a rewarding one as the former French international took the club to second in Ligue 1 in his first season before ending the seven-year reign of Olympique Lyonnais the following year.

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